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King: Ancelotti lied to me
Josh King has expressed his disappointment at what he says were broken promises from Carlo Ancelotti when he signed for Everton in the winter transfer window.
The 29-year-old was brought in from Bournemouth on a short-term contract to provide attacking support for Dominic Calvert-Lewin after the Blues' ranks had been left short in October with the departure of Moise Kean on a season long loan to Paris Saint-Germain but he left Goodison last month having failed to make a start.
King had to be content with a handful of substitute's appearances and though he won a vital free-kick at Old Trafford that led to a stoppage-time equaliser in a 3-3 draw against Manchester United and he hit the post away at West Ham, he didn't manage a goal in his few months with Everton.
King says that while has no regrets about taking the opportunity to return to the Premier League after being relegated with Bournemouth a year ago, he feels hugely let down by Ancelotti.
“I do not regret that I went to Everton,” he told Dagbladet in his native Norway. “I did not get the chance, not a single start. Had I got a start and not performed, I would have understood it. I was told that I would get to play, but it was not delivered.
“Do not trust coaches who promise you things and say you will get the chance, that you will start. He lied to me, but there are not many honest people who work in football. I had no relationship with Carlo Ancelotti.”
King has been linked with moves to a couple of other English clubs as well as in Turkey but he is currently without a club for 2021-22.
Reader Comments (61)
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2 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:26:44
3 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:27:43
4 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:28:08
5 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:30:45
Wonder if any of the European super powers will swoop for a player of his calibre? Maybe Rafa can turn him into a diamond.
6 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:31:39
No one challenged Carlo's stance at the time. This is a bit late but I suppose he deserves to be heard.
7 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:36:04
I thought he was a good pick up at the time. Now l have no opinion because l have no evidence to back it up. Carlo did a pretty crap job in the end didn't he.
8 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:36:05
9 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:42:53
10 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:44:02
11 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:52:31
12 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:06:59
13 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:08:28
1. He didn't earn one, either in his sub appearances or on the training ground.
2. Carlo lied. In other words, one of the world's most renowned managers went out of his way to mislead a visibly overweight player who -- even at his career peak -- averaged ten goals per Prem season. Ten.
Which is more likely?
Gee, that's a tough one. Lemme ponder that for a while.
14 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:14:05
He looked like an astute signing as back-up to the main strike force and as an impact substitute able to play a variety of forward roles.
He was never given a chance.
It's not as if Carlo himself lit any fires for his last ten games in charge.
15 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:14:35
16 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:29:07
Never !
17 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:29:28
Part of me still likes him for his ruthless brass neck in legging it asap with pockets of Mosh's loot as fans knelt before him in craven gratitude. Don't think he even gave a token "thanks"
The best cad since Terry Thomas.
Does anyone know the Italian equivalent of "what a shower" ?
18 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:30:32
19 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:30:56
20 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:38:26
21 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:39:49
Most of my online dates certainly felt that way.
22 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:40:24
23 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:40:37
24 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:48:52
25 Posted 28/06/2021 at 20:53:05
I still don't understand why Var didn't check that.
26 Posted 28/06/2021 at 22:24:03
27 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:07:17
Is this the same correspondent who days ago sought support for his own eulogy to Duncan Ferguson when he wrote the following:
"Carlo Ancelotti has made no secret of the respect and admiration he has for Ferguson. There were even reports that he has asked Duncan to join him in Madrid. Recently, Michael Ball reported hearing Carlo's reaction just after he joined us, regarding the influence Ferguson has on the crowd... He simply said "Wow!"
Well I never!
I've no opinion on Josh King but his signing was typical of the screwball antics of those supposedly in charge of the club.
28 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:17:25
A 4-word post out of 27 others has you whipped into a frenzy yet again.
What an absolute mug you are.
29 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:17:43
It's water under the bridge now but I was very disappointed with some of Ancelotti's decisions and non-decisions during a season that fell apart.
Here's hoping Rafa can do the right things.
30 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:19:45
How about: "I thought I was good enough to play for Everton, but it turns out I wasn't!''
Sometimes, Mr King, it isn't everybody's fault but your own.
31 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:24:29
32 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:30:05
Truth is, King – whilst not being a world class player – has a reasonable history at the upper levels that is well known. We're not talking of a risky one from a foreign league here.
In the absence of an injury problem, of which we've heard nothing, it appears to be a divisive signing within the club, or a falling-out that we don't know of. He was notably under-utilized.
33 Posted 28/06/2021 at 23:36:46
Everton were happy to have him in the squad, to give us options up front, not to score more goals. So, a strange signing but I think he might have misunderstood the amount of game time he'd get.
34 Posted 28/06/2021 at 00:06:39
It's precisely what you do, repeatedly, after all.
By the way, your 4-word post on this thread (unlike your article of two days ago) is a good habit for you to acquire, I suggest! :)
35 Posted 29/06/2021 at 00:07:17
36 Posted 29/06/2021 at 00:48:33
37 Posted 29/06/2021 at 04:41:18
People take out of conversations what they want to hear. He wanted to hear Ancelotti saying he'd definitely start. Obviously any "promise" for him to start must be conditional on form. And the lad wasn't on good enough form to get a start.
38 Posted 29/06/2021 at 06:08:13
39 Posted 29/06/2021 at 07:57:28
40 Posted 29/06/2021 at 08:33:57
41 Posted 29/06/2021 at 08:52:14
42 Posted 29/06/2021 at 09:41:18
You don't know what went on, but it won't stop you making stuff up. No wonder the media is so full of shite, people lap it up and pander to it. Grow up, act your age, not your shoe size.
43 Posted 29/06/2021 at 09:53:27
44 Posted 29/06/2021 at 09:57:25
I did chuckle at that, nice one!
45 Posted 29/06/2021 at 10:31:19
46 Posted 29/06/2021 at 12:07:05
Anyway, non-story. King played as he was allegedly promised. The reason he didn't play more should be obvious.
47 Posted 29/06/2021 at 12:22:28
48 Posted 29/06/2021 at 12:29:38
A disappointed player who wanted to be given more of a chance. Understandable, I also hoped he would be given a start but, for some reason, it didn't happen.
Not so much broken promises, more a misunderstanding and sense of frustration. He's a good forward but I don't think he has the work ethic of Dom and Rich to displace either.
49 Posted 29/06/2021 at 13:16:19
This raises the questions about why he was so unfit in the first place and also why his lack of fitness wasn't picked up during his medical? There could be a good player in Josh King... but now we will never know.
50 Posted 29/06/2021 at 13:32:13
Duncan Ferguson therefore had zero influence over Carlo as first-team coach because he was never played and/or Ferguson didn't rate him either. Ergo, neither Carlo or Dunc wanted him but Brands goes ahead and signs him. It's a fuck-up.
Carlo has gone but Dunc is still here and will presumably still have no influence over the incoming manager. It's still a fuck-up.
IMO, we should have given King a better chance, he was worth the punt. I hope Brands's relationship with the new manager is improved
52 Posted 29/06/2021 at 15:12:36
53 Posted 29/06/2021 at 18:58:32
The man was a fucking has-been leetch.
54 Posted 29/06/2021 at 21:08:34
Dream up, dream up, let me fill your cup, with the promise of a man.
Wonder if anybody has time to explain to Don the difference between... Na, didnt think so.
You could be here all night.
55 Posted 29/06/2021 at 21:46:14
56 Posted 30/06/2021 at 11:44:35
I think he was under used especially when our forward line was struggling, but Carlo made some weird subs.
At the end of the day it's just another strange snapshot of a disfunctional club.
57 Posted 30/06/2021 at 12:07:24
58 Posted 30/06/2021 at 12:12:15
59 Posted 30/06/2021 at 12:15:01
"Lie" is always as strong accusation. In football, no-one is guaranteed a start in my experience, from playing, coaching and observing as a supporter.
It smacks a bit of sour grapes in my opinion.
I'll be honest, I know we needed back up and cover, but this seemed an odd signing. But then it was that. Back up and cover if needed on a temporary basis.
I don't know what guarantees (if any) the lad was given. But he's surely been around the professional game more than me to understand how that works?
60 Posted 02/07/2021 at 08:22:27
This applies in all cases, especially with the recent appointment of Rafael Benitez.
Also a good reference is the famous quote from the late Donald Rumsfeld; "There are the known knowns, the unknown knowns, the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns.
Job done.
61 Posted 05/07/2021 at 07:53:52
Everton where interested the previous season, before he played in the Championship. They bought in Kean instead. King's time in the Champions had seen him drift down. It appears to be an all-round lazy bit of transfer work.
He needs to knuckle down and put in some work, instead of blaming anyone, if he wants to resurrect his career.
62 Posted 05/07/2021 at 09:13:39
I don't think he was ever really more than emergency cover - and the emergency never happened.
We should be able to do better over summer (although I've said that before and been disappointed)
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1 Posted 28/06/2021 at 19:09:32